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Report: Defendants file for dismissal from Ed O'Bannon antitrust suit

Ed O'Bannon has filed suit against the NCAA for the use of players' likenesses in video games and more. (AP)

The NCAA, Collegiate Licensing Company and EA Sports all requested dismissal from the antitrust lawsuit involving former UCLA basketball star Ed O'Bannon on Tuesday, Steve Berkowitz of USA Today reports.

O'Bannon and a group of former and current college athletes are suing the three co-defendants over the use of student-athletes names and likenesses in video games and television broadcasts. The dismissal motions were not unexpected, as U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken ruled last week that the three co-defendants in the case could file for dismissal.

The NCAA has long maintained that it does not exploit the names and likenesses of student-athletes, and it says it never allowed EA Sports to use those names and likenesses in its video games and products.

Wilken continues to consider the plaintiffs' motion for class-action certification. If the suit is certified, it could allow thousands of former and current athletes to join the plaintiffs' side. The potential damages for the defendants would, in turn, greatly increase.